Department for Transport

Railway Stations: Access

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 November (HL3151), which stations were affected by Network Rail's decision to defer works on the Access for All programme from Control Period 5 to Control Period 6.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are committed to delivering the Access for All programme in full and 25 projects have already completed in Control Period 5. In addition, construction will continue at the following stations as planned: Alexandra PalaceHebden BridgeTaffs WellBexleyKidsgroveTeddingtonBlackhorse RoadKilmarnockTorquayBrondesburyKilwinningTotnesBurnhamLichfield Trent ValleyTottenham HaleCanterbury EastManningtreeTreherbertCarshaltonMeolsTringCheltenham SpaMills HillVirginia WaterCoulsdon SouthPalmers GreenWarwickCrawleyPlumsteadWest HampsteadEwell WestScunthorpeWestertonFinsbury ParkSelhurstWhittonHamilton CentralShortlands HeadingleyStechfordThe following stations will continue to be developed in Control Period 5 and constructed in Control Period 6.Alfreton ParkwayLiverpool CentralSouthend EastBarnesLlanelliSt Mary CrayBarry TownLutonStreathamBattersea ParkMarket HarboroughThealeCathaysNorthallertonTrefforestChathamPeckham RyeWalton-on-ThamesGarforthPetts WoodWeston-Super-MareGraysQueens ParkWorcester Shrub HillHither GreenSeven Sisters

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burundi: Politics and Government

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Burundi in the light of the recent attack on presidential aide, Willy Nyamitwe.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We condemn the attack on Willy Nyamitwe and the subsequent death of his bodyguard. The attack demonstrates the persistence of a climate of violence in Burundi, but it is too early to assess the effect of the attack on the wider security situation in Burundi. We remain in close contact with staff at the British Embassy Office in Bujumbura.The situation in Burundi remains grave, despite claims by the Burundian Government that it has normalised. The overall security situation has improved since its low point in December 2015, with a reduction in night-time police raids and attacks by the opposition. However, this has been replaced by increased, systematic government oppression. There is compelling evidence from a range of local and international monitors, including the United Nations, that extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture and arbitrary arrests continue. Opposition supporters, human rights activists and journalists are actively targeted by the Burundian national intelligence service and the ruling party's youth wing (the Imbonerakure). Fear of the Imbonerakure is a key factor behind the flight of refugees outside Burundi.

Burundi: Foreign Relations

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last met, and when they next plan to meet, President Nkurunziza of Burundi.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Senior UK officials, including our High Commissioner in Rwanda (who is also our non-resident Ambassador to Burundi) met with President Nkurunziza twice in 2015 during visits of the United Nations Security Council to Burundi. During the course of these meetings a broad range of issues was discussed, including human rights, security and the importance of maintaining the principles of the 2000 Arusha Agreement, including the protection of minorities in Burundi. Since then President Nkurunziza's has largely withdrawn from engagement with the international community. This highlights the self-imposed isolation that is reducing the likelihood of finding a consensual solution to the ongoing crisis in Burundi.In December 2015 the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (James Duddridge) met with Foreign Minister Nyamitwe in Burundi, as did our non-resident Ambassador to Burundi in July 2016. Our officials take part in regular consultations with Foreign Minister Nyamitwe alongside other EU member states pursuant to Article 96 of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)-EU Partnership Agreement (also known as the Cotonou Agreement) of 2000, most recently in October 2016.​Burundi's increasing self-imposed international isolation is particularly worrying. Our non-Resident Ambassador to Burundi and officials regularly request meetings with President Nkurunziza and will continue to do so, but given the self-imposed isolation they are increasingly difficult to secure.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the court ruling in Hong Kong disqualifying two elected legislators from the Legislative Council.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Hong Kong courts reached a decision on the cases of Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Leung on the basis of Hong Kong's legal framework. We respect this decision.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish the Department for International Development's global nutrition position paper.

Lord Bates: The nutrition position paper is being updated to reflect the priorities set out in the Multilateral and Bilateral Development Reviews. It is anticipated that we will publish this paper in spring 2017.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to integrate UK-funded health and nutrition programmes in (1) Malawi, (2) Pakistan, and (3) India.

Lord Bates: DFID Malawi is designing a new health and nutrition approach.DFID has supported integrated health and nutrition services in Pakistan since 2013 and in India since 2007. This will remain a focus for DFID Pakistan, whilst DFID India’s support for health and nutrition ended in March 2016.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel in the light of the statement issued on 10 November by the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities condemning the Israeli authorities’ obstruction of humanitarian assistance for to Palestinian communities.

Lord Bates: The UK is concerned by this kind of disruption of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian communities. We regularly raise our concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel, and continue to call on the Government of Israel at the highest levels to ease restrictions on humanitarian access across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Department for Education

Universities

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any legal restrictions on the ability of an organisation or institution operating in England to use the term "university" as part of its title.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: There are two legislative restrictions in place. “University” is a sensitive word under company law[1], which means permission from the Secretary of State under the Companies Act 2006, following a non-objection letter from the Department for Education, is required before it can be used in a business or company name. Also, under section 39 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998, an institution cannot offer educational services under a name which includes “university” unless authorised by Act or Royal Charter or approved by the Privy Counsel.[1] Company, Limited Liability Partnerships and Business Names (Sensitive Words and Expressions) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/3140)

Overseas Students

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of overseas students coming to study in the UK over the last five years, and the impact of any decline in that number on the UK economy.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The table below shows that the number of Non-EU students entering UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) over the last five years. Entry data for 2015/16 and 2016/17 are currently unavailable. First year enrolments domiciled in Non-EU countries prior to studyUK HEIsAcademic Years 2012/13 to 2016/17 2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17171,900179,400174,300Not AvailableNot Available Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record

Overseas Students

The Lord Bishop of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of overseas students, excluding EU students, coming to study in the UK over the next five years.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: In Autumn 2015, as part of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement, the following estimates were published, based on forecasts by English universities. These forecasts only include English Higher Education Institutions and do not separate out Home and EU students.English Higher Education InstitutionsForecasts of student numbersAcademic Year 2015/16 – 2019/20 2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/20Total growthHome and EU students (FTE)1,300,0001,340,0001,370,0001,400,0001,440,000130,000Non-EU students (FTE)260,000280,000300,000310,000320,00055,000Source: English universities’ forecasts, Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE). Figures may not sum due to rounding.

Ministry of Defence

Diego Garcia

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any agreement by the US to defray the costs of maintaining the presence of UK military personnel on the island of Diego Garcia.

Earl Howe: The 1966 Exchange of Notes is the agreement between the UK and the US detailing the conditions and permitted use of the British Indian Ocean Territory by the US Government. As part of this agreement the US do not currently provide Her Majesty's Government with funding towards the costs of our military personnel based in the territory.

South Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of (1) women, and (2) men, who will be deployed in the UK peacekeeping office in South Sudan.

Earl Howe: The UK intends to deploy up to 400 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) of whom, approximately 6%, are expected to be female. This would be double the UN average, with women making up about 3% of UN peacekeepers worldwide. In addition, the UK has four male personnel at the UN mission's headquarters in Juba, including the Chief of Staff.

Ministry of Defence: Gender

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many gender focal points exist in (1) the UK's armed forces, (2) the Ministry of Defence, and (3) the UK's peacekeeping force in South Sudan.

Earl Howe: There are now over 40 Gender Focal Points (GFPs) within the ranks of the UK Armed Forces, including in the Ministry of Defence, four of whom are awaiting deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

Weapons

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of human control they consider necessary for compliance with international law in the context of lethal autonomous weapons; and how they will work with other states to define that level of control at the forthcoming Review Conference of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Earl Howe: The Government of the United Kingdom does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no intention of developing them. Such systems are not yet in existence and are not likely to be for many years, if at all. Although a limited number of defensive systems can currently operate in automatic mode, there is always a person involved in setting the parameters of any such mode. As a matter of policy, the UK is clear that the operation of our weapons will always be under human control. This information has been put on record a number of times, in both Parliament and international forums.

Armed Forces: Officers

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many one-star ranks and above in the UK armed forces attended a state school beyond the age of 16.

Earl Howe: This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to attract more private funding into the construction of flood defences; and whether this will include providing a return to investors on their investment in such projects and allowing corporate investors more control over the investments made.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Government changed its funding approach in 2011 to provide space for and encourage private sector and other contributions to Government supported flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. Private sector contributors benefit from the reduction in flood risk which their investment buys. The return on these investments vary from scheme to scheme depending on the level of protection achieved by the project but private sector contributors can choose how much they invest. Legislation was introduced in the Finance Bill 2015 to enable companies and unincorporated businesses to receive a tax relief on their contributions to partnership funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. This is intended to encourage private sector contributions to projects across the country through partnership funding, allowing more schemes to go ahead.

Flood Control

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Design, Build, Finance and Operate (DBFO) as a viable approach to the funding of flood defence projects; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which this approach would ensure an appropriate sharing of costs and risks between the contractor and the DBFO client.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Most flood defence improvement schemes managed by the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities are delivered through private sector suppliers. When considering how best to procure the improvement and maintenance of defences the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities consider a wide range of options including design, build and operate. Private financing may form part of this where the scheme is not fully funded by government.

Flood Control

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the prioritisation of projects designed to address drainage, water level and flood risks; and what is their estimate of the costs of funding a programme to address these risks.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Flood defence projects are prioritised based on the economic benefits they could achieve in terms of the flood damages they would avoid and the number of homes that would be better protected from flooding or coastal erosion. The Environment Agency's Long Term Investment Scenarios report represents the best currently available projections of potential long term costs to manage flood and coastal risk under a range of scenarios reflecting future uncertainties. The latest report confirms that current Government investment plans to 2020, together with forecast local contributions, are in line with the level the Environment Agency’s assessment indicates is necessary to reduce overall flood risk. The report it available on the GOV.UK website.

Flood Control

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to planning public investments for flood protection over a 25 year timeframe in order to align public investment planning more closely with corporate investment planning and to attract more private sector partnership funding.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Environment Agency's Long Term Investment Scenarios report models investment options 50 years into the future. This analysis is used by Government when considering the case for future investment in flood risk management, for example at spending reviews. At the last spending review we confirmed a record level, six-year capital commitment up to 2021. This has allowed the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities to plan and leverage further contributions, including funding from the private sector. Building on the findings of the National Flood Resilience Review, Defra will now work with the Environment Agency, HM Treasury and the National Infrastructure Commission to consider long term investment needs and funding options after 2021.

Flood Control

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of what is a fair form of contract between private and public sectors in flood defence funding.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Environment Agency has published guidance[1] that describes the principles that Risk Management Authorities should follow when implementing the Government’s partnership funding policy[2] and promoting flood and coastal risk management projects. This includes securing contributions from beneficiaries for flood risk management schemes. All contributions are voluntary. Most private contributions are associated with the direct reduction of risk to the business location alone. However in some situations, where businesses are within an at-risk community, their contributions may also be used to protect the adjacent community. Where this is the case, the Government offers tax incentives in support. The terms on which contributions are secured is a matter for each Risk Management Authority. The guidance describes the key elements these terms should consider. The Environment Agency has standard terms template agreements for use when securing contributions from the public and private sectors towards its projects.  [1] Principles for implementing flood and coastal resilience funding partnerships (Environment Agency 2012)[2] ‘Flood and coastal resilience partnership funding’ introductory guide (Defra 2011) 



Principles for implementing
(PDF Document, 425.26 KB)




introductory guide
(PDF Document, 401.62 KB)

Flood Control

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of investment required in resources and skills to undertake necessary flood prevention measures.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Environment Agency is delivering a £2.5 billion 6 year investment programme to improve flood and coastal erosion risk management, including asset maintenance. The Environment Agency is recruiting an additional 200 skilled staff having reviewed the resources required to deliver the programme.

Poultry: Slaughterhouses

Lord Trees: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what (1) currents, (2) frequencies, (3) waveforms, and (4) current type, AC or DC, are used in the electrical waterbath stunning of chickens; and whether they are satisfied that the parameters used cause loss of consciousness without pain and that this loss of consciousness is maintained until death.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The parameters, such as the currents and frequencies to be used for the electrical waterbath stunning of chickens, are set down in Annex I of European Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. These parameters are based on a Scientific Opinion from the Animal Health and Welfare Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). It is a requirement of domestic and European law that stunning must be effective in rendering the animal unconscious and insensible to pain and that the animal must remain unconscious until death.

Home Office

Counter-terrorism

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 23 November (HL3165), and following the open procurement exercise for the delivery of the Desistance and Disengagement Pilot Programme, whether they will state the names of the individuals and organisations which were selected to run the programmes alongside the Home Office.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Delivery of the Desistance and Disengagement Pilot Programme will be led by the Home Office in conjunction with key stakeholders and other Governmental Departments.The Home Office will work alongside experienced practitioners and non-governmental organisations to deliver a suite of mentoring, psychological and theological interventions. Due to the sensitive nature of this important programme, and to give the pilot the best chance of success, we do not intend to release details of individuals and organisation which were selected to run the programme.

Kyrgyzstan: Corruption

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of the US about Eugene Gourevitch, regarding his co-operation with the US Department of Justice's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative to track down stolen Kyrgyz assets.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK is willing and committed to helping international partners and will consider any request on a case by case basis. However as a matter of longstanding policy and practice the Home Office can neither confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual request.

HM Treasury

Child Tax Credit: Disability

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who was responsible for the processing error that resulted in families whose children qualified for Disability Living Allowance not receiving additional tax credits during 2011–14; what was the average total loss per family affected; and why restitution has not been backdated to cover the full period affected.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the families affected by the underpayment of tax credits to families whose children qualified for Disability Living Allowance during 2011–14.

Lord Young of Cookham: Claimants were able to claim the higher rate of Child Tax Credits (CTC) by informing HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of eligibility at the time an initial claim for or renewal of CTC was made. Accompanying guidance provided details of the eligibility requirements for this. In addition, claimants could call the relevant HMRC helpline at any time. Between April 2011 and April 2014, the number of working families claiming the disabled child element increased from 145,000 to 152,000, and has since risen to 169,000. It is the claimants’ responsibility to inform HMRC of their eligibility to the higher element of CTC. To help claimants claim the right amount, HMRC’s backup practice is to take information from Department for Work and Pensions to automatically update tax credit awards. However, for the period in question, this information sharing process proved unreliable. Although legally HMRC are only required to backdate claims for 31 days on receipt of a notification or claim, at the Autumn Statement, the Government announced that HMRC would make corrections for this year for the customers it has identified who have not claimed. Customers will receive a lump sum payment to reflect entitlement since 6 April 2016, and an on-going higher award. A higher level of CTC is awarded to parents of disabled children. The disabled child part of CTC is worth up to £3,140 per year on top of the standard child element, and the severely disabled element is an additional £1,275. The maximum amount a family receives is dependent on their personal circumstances and household income.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 3 December 2014 (HL2977), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority collects information about drugs administered to women or any interventions in the laboratory other than in vitro fertilisation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection and preimplantation genetic screening; and whether assisted hatching was used.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 3 December 2014 (HL2977), (1) what records are maintained by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regarding (a) any drugs given during the follicular and implantation phases or early pregnancy, (b) the use of EmbryoScope or other forms of time-lapse video microscopy, (c) the use of EmbryoGlue, (d) the use of calcium activation, and (e) the use of intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection; (2) whether additional powers are required to enable the HFEA to collect the data necessary to protect patients and embryos and, if so, what steps they plan to take to remedy this; and (3) how the HFEA ensures that additional interventions do not lead to epigenetic errors and future health risks.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: As stated in the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 3 December 2014 (HL2977), the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not regulate the administration of drugs and, therefore, does not collect such data. However, the HFEA does collect information on whether stimulation was used in in-vitro fertilisation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection and donor insemination treatment cycles. The HFEA currently collects information on whether assisted hatching was used. The HFEA has advised that as it does not regulate the administration of drugs, surgical procedures or laboratory equipment, it does not collect data on the interventions listed in the noble Lord’s question. The HFEA has also advised that it has sufficient powers to collect the data necessary to perform its regulatory functions, as set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The HFEA’s Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee regularly reviews the evidence of effectiveness and safety of a number of interventions, commonly described as treatment add-ons.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Baroness Fall: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of child and adolescent mental health services in England imposed restrictions and thresholds on children and young people accessing their services in 2015–16; and what those restrictions and thresholds were.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: This information is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Baroness Fall: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of health areas have Tier 3.5 assertive outreach teams.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The information is not collected.

Pregnancy: Screening

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the decision to approve non-invasive prenatal testing was revealed in an article in the Guardian on 29 October, including a comment from the Health Minister, before that decision was formally published on the government website on 2 November.

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of a statement on the Guardian website on 31 October that an article on the approval of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) had to be amended to correct a statement that the Nuffield Council on Bioethics had confirmed in July that no new ethical issues were raised by NIPT, what statements the Department of Health made to the Guardian or its reporters which led the Guardian to that understanding; whether the Department of Health understood this to be the case at the time of those statements; and if so, why.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The decision to accept the UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) recommendation of the non-invasive prenatal testing was formally communicated as a matter of public record via the Guardian and Press Association, and subsequently reported by several media organisations, this is usual practice.Following subsequent conversations with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, an agreement was made to amend statements made to reflect their preferred wording. The Department did not contact the Guardian to amend this article.

Abortion

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have reviewed the compatibility of section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act 1967 with Article 5 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The Department has reviewed and is satisfied that section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act is compatible with Article 5 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Abortion

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by the Department of Health Matching Department of Health abortion notifications and data from the National Down’s Syndrome Cytogenetic Register, published in May 2014, and of the report by Eurocat Misinterpretation of TOPFA data on website tables, published in 2013, (1) what steps they have taken to end the under-reporting of abortions on the grounds of disability; (2) what evidence they have that under-reporting no longer happens; and (3) what sanctions they have developed to ensure that under-reporting does not recur.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: We continue to carefully monitor reporting of abortions for fetal abnormality. Actions being taken include working directly with hospital staff to understand their specific challenges and help them find solutions to improve reporting of abortions. The Department, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Maternal and Fetal Health Medicine Society, will shortly be jointly writing to all clinicians in fetal medicine units, antenatal screening midwives, and associated administrative staff to remind all doctors involved in abortion care of their legal responsibility under the Abortion Act 1967 and Abortion Regulations 1991, to submit form HSA4 within 14 days of the termination. The letter also provides practical examples from hospitals the Department has worked with to improve their reporting processes. In April 2015, Public Health England (PHE) established a new national congenital anomaly and rare disease registration service. We are working with PHE to compare reporting of abortions notified to the Chief Medical Officer and those reported through the register. Overall, between 2013 and 2015, there was an 18% increase in the number of reported abortions for fetal abnormality. While this increase may not solely be the result of increased reporting of these abortions, we do know that this is the case with some of the hospitals we have been working directly with.

Mental Health Services

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 2 November (HL2508), whether they have plans to review the progress in Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health with (1) service users, (2) the Local Government Association, and (3) the voluntary and third sector.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: Progress in implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health is monitored and supported by NHS England’s Advisory and Oversight Group that is chaired by Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of MIND, and former chair of the Mental Health Taskforce, and the group membership comprises a range of external stakeholders, including service users and a number of voluntary sector organisations. As local areas develop and implement their own plans to deliver the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, it will be important that common principles are followed. These should include: - co-production with people with lived experience of services, their families and carers;- working in partnership with local public, private and voluntary sector organisations, recognising the contributions of each to improving mental health and wellbeing;- identifying needs and intervening at the earliest appropriate opportunity to reduce the likelihood of escalation and distress and support recovery;- designing and delivering person-centred care, underpinned by evidence, which supports people to lead fuller, happier lives; and,- underpinning the commitments through outcome-focused, intelligent and data-driven commissioning. In relation to monitoring performance, in October 2016, NHS England published a Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard. The Dashboard, which is an online only resource, includes metrics for monitoring key performance and outcomes data and will be updated quarterly.

Mental Health Services

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the recorded reasons why referrals to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme ended in each clinical commissioning group area in each year since 2010.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: The information is not available in the requested format.

Mental Health Services

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with regard to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, what were the initial average anxiety and depression scores for (1) all referrals that ended which related to people who were assessed, (2) all referrals ended which related to people who entered treatment, and (3) all referred persons completing treatment, in each clinical commissioning group area in each year since 2010.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: This data is not available in the format requested.

Pregnancy: Screening

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing is consistent with disability equality.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: Non-invasive prenatal testing for Down’s, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes is an additional test to be offered as part of the current NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme, and as it does not fundamentally alter the choices already available to women, we consider that there will be no impact on race, age, disability, gender reassignment sex or sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership or pregnancy and maternity for the purposes of the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010. The Department also considers that the programme is compliant with the Equality Act because it is not discriminatory and, with regard to the three elements of the Public Sector Equality Duty in s.149 of that Act, it has a neutral impact. All relevant equality duties will be further considered by Public Health England during the evaluative roll out.

Kidderminster Hospital

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the long-term strategic plan for the future of Kidderminster Hospital.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the future of Kidderminster Hospital will be fully considered in the Sustainability and Transformation Plan for Worcestershire.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: This is a matter for the local National Health Service organisations. NHS England advises that the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) aims to improve the quality of care provided across the region, address the gaps and inconsistencies that exist and use resources to the best effect, including the estate. In particular, the draft Herefordshire and Worcestershire STP commits to exploring how a greater proportion of routine elective activity can be delivered across the existing sites to reduce the risk of cancellations and to improve clinical outcomes. The specific proposals for hospital services in Worcestershire have been reviewed as part of the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire (FOAHSW) programme of work and are due to go out for public consultation shortly. These proposals see a strong future for Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre in support of the overall delivery of the strategy. The proposals include moving more planned operations to Kidderminster Treatment Centre and further expanding the work carried out from this facility. Services at Kidderminster Hospital would be maintained, and there is scope for additional investment and more services at the hospital in the next few years. The STP is supportive of the FOAHSW proposals, and any additional changes to how services are provided would be subject to local engagement and more formal public consultation where appropriate.

Kidderminster Hospital

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether spare capacity at Kidderminster Hospital could be used to relieve pressure on Worcester and Redditch Hospitals.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: This is a matter for the local National Health Service organisations. NHS England advises that under the Future of Acute Hospital Services in Worcestershire (FOAHSW) programme, the intention is to increase the amount and range of daycase and short stay surgery carried out at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre. Some elective work is expected to move to Kidderminster Hospital from the Worcestershire Royal Hospital to create capacity for the Worcestershire Royal Hospital to undertake more emergency work. The FOAHSW proposals are due to go out for public consultation shortly.